


This Old Thing

by westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist



Category: The West Wing
Genre: F/M, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-02-24
Updated: 2004-02-24
Packaged: 2019-05-15 14:43:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14792475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist/pseuds/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist
Summary: Donna has a new outfit and a taste for margaritas. Josh appreciates the dress, but more importantly the tipsy girl. The modern Cinderella story really.





	This Old Thing

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

**This Old Thing**

**by:** Dawnitella

**Character(s):** Josh/Donna  
**Pairing(s):** Josh/Donna  
**Rating:** TEEN  
**Disclaimer:** Aaron Sorkin owns all.  I own nothing but student loans and a nice little knowledge of the district.  
**Summary:** Donna has a new outfit and a taste for margaritas.  Josh appreciates the dress, but more importantly the tipsy girl. The modern Cinderella story really.  
**Spoiler:** season 5  
**Author's Note:** This is for my Josh, who’s real name is oddly C.J., whom I would wear this dress for anytime, and the shoes because I saw some like them at Nine West and I’m taking donations so I can get them.  If you don’t want to donate, yet still enjoy my little fluff piece feel free to at least come buy me a margarita at Red River, I won’t refuse. 

I am sick of everyone dressing the same, and to support Rina and to include her in the new sisterhood, sans Bonnie and Ginger, I’ve decided to follow suit, or well lack there of.  Now I’m not going to be asking her for makeup tips because I even know that the whole black eyeliner and bright red lipstick just looks trashy on an alabaster skin girl, but today I’m trying a dress.  It’s a cute dress, not the red dress or even that navy "amazing" one I wore to the inauguration, but a black wrap around that I got at the Anne Taylor sales rack at Union Station.  I’m a girl on a budget but every once in a while even a girl on a budget can go down that side of the second floor of Union Station and mingle with the Senators wives.

            The problem is though, no one can see the dress.  I became so excited just because I felt like I was shopping for a cause that I miscalculated how self conscious I would be prancing about the west wing.  So I’ve decided to leave my coat on.  I contemplate running down to C.J.’s office to get Carol and her take on the situation but C.J. will just tell me it’s fabulous in her normal "you go girl" way.  Plus I think I hear a swagger which means Josh is en-route.

            You may ask what a swagger sounds like.  Well, over the years I’ve noticed that the clicking of heel toe on the floors of the White House combined with the swish of a coat that is created by the swinging arms creates a noise anyone could notice.  I mean it, anyone could tell when Josh is twenty feet away from them. Anyone. Shut up.

            I decide to pretend to be reading something with my coat unnecessarily buttoned up to the top and my hand shading my forehead.  The swagger heel-toe click stops along with the swish.  And the peering over the shoulder begins.  

            "Donnatella?"

            Not looking up and pretending to be immersed in the _Washington Post_ I reply, "Mornin’ Josh." Smooth, I know.  I can feel him start to look me over and skeptically wrinkle his forehead.

            "Cold?"

            "Kinda," still reading about how the metro’s new cars are going to be added to the red line as well, interesting.  Really, it is, they have the whole automated thing going for them but it kind of takes away the character of ghetto-fabulous conductors have going for them when annoucing delays and stops.

            "Schedule?"

            "Senior Staff in fifteen minutes," as I hand him his schedule, still engrossed.

            "Thanks, find a way to warm yourself up by the way." Then he rubs his hands on my shoulders in that cutesy boyfriend thinks you’re cold when it’s sixty-five degrees out kind of way.  Did I say boyfriend? I meant friend. I did it to Margaret last week when we had to run over to the OEOB.  It’ll be easier if you just stick to shutting up so I don’t have to say it every five minutes.

            As I hear the door to his office close I breathe a sigh of relief and lay my head on my hands.  This is ridiculous, it’s not like I’m wearing a Star Trek pin or a Buffy the Vampire Slayer t-shirt.  I’m dressy but not too dressy, and so what if it’s a little low-cut and clingy.  Josh said to warm up and the only way I’m going to is by taking off the coat and acting like I don’t care that the dress is a tad above the knee and if I lean the right way there is definite cleavage.  With a huff and a puff I march over, take off the coat and place it firmly on the coat rack.  I take a spin to see if anyone in the bullpen notices.  Anyone? Another spin.  Anyone?  Bueller?  Ok, that’s a little bit of an ego punch but I’m going to remain nonchalant with my head held high.

            Coffee is essential to my well being.  I decide to make it my next stop.  I’m halfway down the hall when I hear the cat call.

            "Ow-owaaaaaah!"  

            Oh. God. Okay, we need to keep this together Donna. Stop. Pivot. Wow, I now know that watching _America’s Next Top Model_ is no so much of a guilty pleasure as it is a learning tool. Glare. Oh, it’s Ryan what a surprise. Roll the eyes. Pivot. Walk, no strut.  This is going to be a great day.

 

            There’s a blonde in my office wearing something tight.  Plus she’s leaning over my desk writing something on a post-it.  I’m pretty sure that the blonde is my assistant, but the lump in my, umm, throat wants it to be otherwise.  I’ve also noticed my mouth has gone dry from the way its hanging open as, who I assume to be Donnatella Moss, starts to turn towards me clutching files to her chest.  As I finally blink my eyes I regain my jackass attitude complete with smirk.

            "Fashion police." Dimples, yes I’m aware of their power.  I start to size her up as she starts to scowl at me still clutching the files.  Whatcha got underneath those files Donna? The smirk grows as I make my way around her and to my desk.

            "I’m sorry but Joan and Melissa would never let you be on the squad with those wrinkles."

            "I hear Botox does wonders."

            I’m still sizing her up and it’s also probably pretty apparent that I can’t stop looking at the files across her chest.  Still looking at them I ask, "Whatcha got there?"  Her mouth starts to fall, but she soon recovers knowing how to bring the banter herself.

            "Nothing you’ll see outside your dreams." She leans down so that her eyes are at the level her breasts were previously so that she can give me a glare.

            "A dream is a wish your heart makes." SLAM. I’ve noticed over the years that a good Cinderella metaphor melts any woman’s heart.  By the way if watching Disney movies makes me less of a man just call me Tinkerbell because at least it keeps me sentimental without having to cry during some Julia Robert’s flick about the passing of time and women empowerment.

            The glare recedes, "They’re just some stats for C.J.’s morning press briefing," her arms are locked around them and I continue to strain my neck for any kind of peak.  I’m an obvious man, she and I both know this so there’s really no reason to try and hide it. 

            "Do you need anything?"

            Well I need for you to move you’re arms and let me take a better look of you so that I can run over there and… "Nope, I’ll bellow once I do."  Satisfied she turns and walks out the door; unsatisfied I slump into my chair and pretend to read up on the files for the candidates for the bench.

 

            Dear lord, what am I going to do carry around files across my chest all day?  C.J. thanked me and eyeballed the dress with approval and Rina gave me an enthusiastic hi earlier.  Toby didn’t notice, which isn’t much of a surprise and Leo asked if it was already 7pm and if I had a date.  Not that any of this matters because Josh gave me the cutest compliment of all.  Now if I could only get him to do that without staring at my tits in the process…

********

            Today was actually ok, kind of boring except for my own little Cinderella story but other than that, ok.  Josh finally got a total look of my dress, but nothing more was said of it due to the Supreme Court Justice candidate research.  Plus I remembered that it’s Mallory’s birthday and we’re suppose to go out to _Red River_ up on the hill for dinner and $11 pitchers of margaritas.  Thursday night drink specials always a plus to a girl on a budget who got her Cinderella dress and glass slippers for a week’s salary.  Well they’re not really glass, more of a sex kitten heel with an ankle strap, but still.

            The boys might meet up with us later but for now it’s just C.J., Carol, Margaret, Mallory, I and the new sister Rina.  We decide to squeeze into a cab because the bar’s about five minutes away on Massachusetts and none of us want to be responsible for driving tonight.

            Rina and I get our I.D.’s checked at the door, which is new for me but I think the bouncer just didn’t want to single out one girl.  And C.J. ceremoniously hands him hers too, despite the lack of prompting, with a grin and a wink as he waves us into the small bar with the restaurant in the back.  We situate ourselves at a nice round table and order a few pitchers of margaritas with some nachos.

            Talk revolves around work.  But not in a way that we all want it to.  It just seems that whatever we talk about goes back to politics. Example, ‘Hey what about that guy you were seeing?’ ‘Oh the one who worked for the EPA? Yeah that’s done.’  Then the conversation fueled by tequila becomes a bemoaning of the lack we’ve done for the environment lately led by the ring leader, Miss Claudia Jean.  Mallory seems to be enjoying herself, which is great because we haven’t seen much of her lately and it’s nice to be able to take her out for her birthday.  She’s a little upset Zoey couldn’t join us, but the district’s bar scene and Zoey aren’t exactly user friendly anymore.  C.J., as always, is the life of the party.  Margaret and Carol broke the seal so every other minute both of them head to the bathroom in the back of the bar.  Rina, well Rina isn’t talking.  I don’t know how to make her comfortable, but my constant Joshua A.D.D. keeps me looking at the front door so I’m not much help.  She has that everyone hates me wilted look and I’ve decided that tonight she’s going to become one of the girls if it kills me.

            "Ceeej?"

            "Donna dear, don’t slur my name," she says taking the almost empty pitcher from my hand.

            "Can we go take some shots at the bar?"

            "What am I your mother? Of course, let’s go."

            "I’m coming!" Pipes up Mal, Margaret and Carol.

            Rina’s still sipping on her drink kind of not paying attention.  Then C.J. does the motherly thing despite her protests of not being mine. "C’mon honey you’re buying and talking.  Poor thing working for Tobus all day.  If you hurry up and buy me a double I’ll tell you some great stories of what I like to refer to as ‘Toby: The Early Years.’"

            This gets a laugh and for the first time all night a genuine smile as the two cozy up and walk up the steps to the bar.  I’m not going to lie at this point I’m tipsy and my sex kitten heels are not really helping.  No longer focusing on my model strut my main objective now is to walk without falling.  That frozen swirl concoction was quite tasty I think to myself whilst a few men from the bar start leering at me.  I don’t notice of course because I just keep thinking as I look at the door every five seconds, ‘Where’s Josh?’

            Hand on my ass.  Not C.J.’s, yeah she likes to give you that scare.  Hand grabbing my ass.  Large man, cute, but the breath says massively drunk along with the tie that’s disheveled and the leering eyes.

            "Damn."

            "Excuse me?" The girls are taking shots at the bar, brats who didn’t wait for me.  More importantly I need a little help and C.J. can be quite intimidating so she should get her six foot frame over here.

            "I said ‘damn’ because well," oh god his face is getting closer to mine, "you look like a girl who knows what I like."

            Help.

 

            "Why are we taking the metro?"

            "Because our public transportation is interesting in how it works and saves our environment for my children," says Toby.  As the cynic continues to ride his high horse a few local college kids get onto the metro inebriated and shouting about who drank the most. "See, it saves underage drinkers from becoming drunk drivers!"  I give him a questioning look to make him mumble, "Plus I want to see the new cars on the red line."

            "They’re actually not on it yet Toby.  But being grossly underpaid, overworked and in college I appreciate you saving me the cab fare and opting for the $1.20 it takes to get to the bar."

            "Charlie, I would have paid for the cab if I knew the metro would take me longer than life to get to see Donna in that dress.  It’s taken an hour to go what it takes five minutes by cab.  And I know she’s waiting for me.  Plus she’s drunk which is highly cute because her nose gets all red…" I’m talking aloud.  The reason why I realize this is Toby’s giving me that look he gets when I go off on tangents about women.  It says ‘I don’t care,’ and ‘don’t let it get into the press that you’re a moron by shutting up.’

            "Yeah that dress was really something!  Did you guys see how low-cut it was? And her legs-" Ryan stops when we all turn to look at him like he’s a Republican with a shotgun who is gay bashing.

            My face is red and his throat looks like it could use some strangling, lucky for him the metro finally stopped at Union and we all need to head over to the bar to meet the girls, one of whom the Piercelette needs to steer clear of if he values the part of his body he was just speaking with.

            When we get to the bar, I take my look around to find the girls when Mallory comes crashing into me.

            "Joshuuuua!  Did you bring me a present?"

            "Actually I have one for you but you have to wait a half hour because my watch sucks."  Sam’s coming, but I told him eleven thirty, because as I said the watch sucks.  She moves onto Charlie who’s telling her that due to his cab fare savings he’d be glad to buy her another round.  Ryan now has set his sights on Rina which is good, because we have enough romantic innuendo in our group and they really should just get each other because they’re new and it won’t interfere.  C.J. comes sauntering down from the bar, her tall frame wobbling like a tree in the wind.

            "Mi amor!"

            "Where’s Donna?"

            "‘Hey C.J.!  You look great! How are YOU doing?’" She then points to a corner where a man is groping Donna who looks really frightened but is giving him her best smile as she tries to take the hand off her ass.  Did I mention that I’m already next to her?

            "Hi," I say to her.  That scared look gets worse because she and I both know the next thing will be what I’m doing to the republican who has her by her ass.  I can assume he’s a republican because I instantly loathe him.  The democrat party is all about acceptance by the way.  If you need any help I can give you information on the DNC.  I start to look at the nemesis.

            "Bye."  I slip my arm around Donna’s waist before the drunk can catch her and lead her towards the group.  He falls ceremoniously forward into a stool and gets yelled at by a guy twice his size.  I like that this is a bar that is usually occupied with the Washington Rugby Club.

            "Thanks," she whispers and instead of taking the arm off her waist she kind of snuggles into my side, which is, well, pleasant.  It’s also a sign that she’s tipsy because she’s very touchy-feely after a few margaritas.

 

            Josh is warm.  I am on my way to drunk. Life is good. And he smells nice.  Another few sips of this drink and I’ll be on cloud nine thanks to that fairy godmother Rina.  Yeah okay, she’s new and I’m drunk. I know the relationship we have has nothing to do with her but I’m all about love right now.  As are the people around us.  Sam’s arrived and Mal’s sticking her tongue down his throat.  Happy birthday to her. The intern and my fashionista are taking shots together.  Carol and Margaret have two, what have to be no more than grad students, fawning over them and buying them drinks.  C.J., Toby and Will are in the pointing and snickering at others.  And Josh is, oh, staring at me.  I should say something because his arm is still around me.

            "Thanks Wild Thing."

            "No prob, Cindy," he starts to pull me closer if that’s at all possible and I face him a little more.

            "Like my dress?"

            "Oh, I didn’t notice," damn those fucking dimples. "Is it new?" He takes his fingers and runs them around in a circle on the small of my back.

            "This old thing?"  I stare right at him when I say that.  I don’t really mean the dress, I mean us.  And I think he got that, because his eyes are bugging out of his head right now.  So damn cute! Okay, I have odd turn-ons like dimples and bug eyes.

            "You’re right." Huh? "It’s nothing new at all." He’s leaning forward, ok what the hell is going on. 

            Oh. My. God. He just brushed his lips against mine!  Now he’s ruining the romantic moment by giving me the ‘I’m da man’ smirk.  What a fuckhead.

 

            I kissed Donna!  I kissed Donna!  I kissed Donna! And I think she liiiiiiiked it! This is my new favorite rhyme.  Oh no, I can’t hold it back.  Shit the smirk.  Dammit Lyman! STOP SMILING!  Great now her face has gone from awe to a look that usually means, ‘Here, eat this salad.’

            Smack.  

            "Ow!"

            "Take that some place else dumbass."  C.J.’s now next to us looking to pounce.  I look at Donna whose now smirking too.  Ok I can’t read women someone needs to tell me what’s going on.

            "Ok." Ok? OK? Why did Donna just say ok? And why is she putting on her jacket that C.J. brought over.  She’s leading me towards the exit?  OH!

            "I AM SO DA MAN!"

            "You know, am I going to have sex tonight with you or your ego?"  Donna said sex.  Oh my god she said sex!  I’m giddy and hopping around now while she’s putting on her coat.

            "Well who’s name are you going to call out?" I say regaining some composure, sure I thursted my hips a little with that comment but so be it.

            "I don’t know.  ‘Ooooh Deputy Downer!’ Kind of sounds fun for me."  So suggestive with the bitting of the lip. 

            "Well just remember you’re the Deputy Deputy Downer." Yay! Banter during sex will be so fun!

            "Hey Josh?"

            "Yeah Toby?"

"Remember, I like her better than you."

"Me too." Sam spouts out before he goes back to mauling Mallory up against the pool table.  Donna’s rolling her eyes but she’s smiling that huge grin where you can see every tooth.

"Everyone does."

            "C’mon Prince Charming."

            "You’re chariot awaits my lady."

            "Ooooh can we take the red line so I can see the new cars?"

            "Not on your life!" I yell in the middle of the street and then I grab her and kiss her hard on the mouth in full view of the capitol. 

            

FADE TO BLACK

1.5.6503.32258  


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